[Book Review] Losing It

Losing It : How We Popped Our Cherry Over the Last 80 Years / Kate Monro (Powell's Books)

In an increasingly sexualised world, how we lose our virginity remains an untold story. Inspired by her Cosmopolitan award-nominated blog, The Virginity Project, Kate Monro sets out to ask men and women from every walk of life, how did it happen for you? Losing It brings together an astonishing collection of stories.

From the experiences of Edna, who lost her virginity in 1940 aged 25, to Charlie, a young, disabled punk rocker whose first-time experience many able-bodied people would envy, Kate reveals the poignant, funny and often surprising truth about other people’s most intimate sexual stories.

Reminiscent on some level of My Secret Garden, Losing It tells stories of discovering sexuality and intimacy over the years.  The chapters are loosely categorized into different scopes of experience and discussions of virginity, in particular the range of what people define as loss of virginity and the reasons that individuals have kept or given up their v-card.  Losing It also stands out in the stories of sexual discovery among early teens, perhaps long standing at an age that most adults are uncomfortable with.  The stories are more intimate than erotic, with an emphasis on the whys and thoughts and not just the act itself.

Advanced Reader Copy copy courtesy of Netgalley; differences may exist between uncorrected galley text and the final edition.